The Definitive Dictionary of Cryptocurrency Terms

This is a compilation of all the jargon and terms commonly found in cryptocurrency and blockchain world, I decided to make this compilation as a reference for everyone, essentially for people new to cryptocurrency where the amount of terms used can get a bit confusing.

I will update the list regularly, so if I missed something you can contribute with new terms on the comments section.

A

51% AttackWhen a group of miners on a blockchain controls over half of the network, they theoretically are able to obstruct other miners from completing blocks because they possess the majority of computing power, which could allow the controlling stake to dominate the creation of new blocks (and therefore cash).

AddressA code used to store/send/receive bitcoins and other cryptocurrency consisting of 26-35 alphanumeric characters. It is also the public key in the pair of keys used by bitcoin holders to digitally sign transactions.

Airdrop (see guide)The term airdrop is sometimes used to describe the process of distributing tokens after the network of an ICO or fork goes live.

Algorithma set of mathematical instructions or rules that need to be followed in problem solving.

AMLAnti-Money Laundering laws are a series of regulations designed to prevent money being converted from criminal activity to what appear to be legitimate assets.

Angel InvestorA wealthy individual who provides startup businesses with capital in exchange for debt or equity in the business.

ASICA computer processing chip that is designed to perform 1 function and 1 function only. Most modern computers have multi-thread CPU’s that allow the computer to complete a range of tasks all at the same time, whereas an ASIC computer focusses only on 1 function. In the crypto space, an ASIC computer is used to mine Bitcoin.

ArbitrageTaking advantage of a difference in price of the same commodity on two different exchanges. Often mentioned when it comes to comparing ETH prices on Korean exchanges against US exchanges.

B

BagholderSomeone still holding an altcoin after a pump and dump crash. Can also just refer to someone holding a coin that is sinking in value with few future prospects.

Bear TrapThis is a manipulation of a stock or commodity by investors. Traders who “set” the bear trap do so by selling stock until it fools other investors into thinking its upward trend in value has stopped, or is dropping. Those who fall into the bear trap will often sell at that time, fearing a further drop in value. At that point, the investors who set the trap will buy at the low price and will release the trap—which is essentially a false bear market. Once the bear trap is released, the value will even out, or even climb.

Bear marketA market that is in a downtrend (prices are going down) The term relates to the direction that a bear attacks. (Bears attack by swiping downwards with their claws.)

BearishAn expectation that price is going to decrease.

BitcoinBitcoin is decentralized and distributed software that allows for trustless peer-to-peer global financial transactions and record keeping. It can be described as a blockchain based smart contract system with a native cryptocurrency token.

BlockBlocks are files where data pertaining to a coin network is permanently recorded. A block records some or all of the most recent coin transactions that have not yet entered any prior blocks. Thus a block is like a page of a ledger or record book. Each time a block is ‘completed’, it gives way to the next block in the blockchain. A block is thus a permanent store of records which, once written, cannot be altered or removed.

Block Explorera search engine for a cryptocurrency, block explorers allow you to query transactions, addresses and other information.

Block HeightBlocks are added to the blockchain sequentially. The current block number is called the block height.

Block SizeBlock size describes the amount of data that can be added to a given block on the blockchain. Bigger blocks allow for more transactions to be stored in blocks, but as a trade-off, more hash power is required to mine a block. This makes transactions faster, but one can argue centralizes mining. In crypto, almost everything is “a trade-off,” just like IRL (In Real Life).

Block RewardA reward that is given to a miner after successfully hashing a transaction block.

Blockchain (see guide)Blockchains are distributed ledgers, secured by cryptography. They are essentially public databases that everyone can access and read, but the data can only be updated by the data owners. Instead of the data residing on a single centralized server, the data is copied across thousands and thousands of computers worldwide.

Bollinger BandA margin around the price of a crypto that helps indicate when a coin is overbought or oversold.

BotsAlmost all exchanges let users program or use a pre-programmed software that can interact with crypto platforms via an API. One type of software, a type that can execute trades on exchanges, is called a “trading bot” (often referred to as simply a “bot”). It may seem like cheating, and in certain hands, it can sure feel like it, but bots are important in many ways too. They can help implement strategies like trailing stop losses for you, and they can help “make markets” (all those little buys and sells that prevent wide spreads in a given market are generally “market maker” / “accumulation” bots). Like people, bots aren’t good or bad, they are neutral and depend on the ethics of the user.

Bull MarketA market that is in an uptrend. (Prices are going up) The term relates to the direction in which a bull attacks (horns low to the ground, a bull strikes upwards)

BullishAn expectation that price is going to increase.

Buying the DipIf you are going to average into a coin, can’t do better than buying the dip (especially in a bull market, in a stagnant market, or at what you think might be the end of a bear market). This means buying when the price goes down. For building a long-term position, it works much better than buying when the price goes up. It also helps the market as you are part of the force stopping the dip instead of part of the force causing the run-up.Also known as BTFD! – Buy the F*cking Dip.

C

CapA number that multiplies the amount of existing tokens for a currency by that currency’s price per coin – providing an overview of that token or currency’s market health or resistance to volatility.

Circulating supplyAn approximation of the number of coins or tokens that are circulating in the public market.

Cold StorageThe process of moving crypto-currency ‘offline’, as a way of safekeeping your crypto-currency from hacking. There are a variety of ways to do this, but some methods most commonly used:—Printing out the QR code of a software wallet and storing it somewhere safe, such as a safety deposit box.—Moving the files of a software wallet onto a USB drive and storing it somewhere safe.—Using a hardware wallet.

ConfirmationWhen a cryptocurrency transaction takes place, the blockchain confirms the transaction’s validity. The confirmation is done by “miners”. It is always advised that you wait for at least 6 confirmations to avoid double spending.

ConsensusConsensus is achieved when all participants of the network agree on the validity of the transactions, ensuring that databases are exact copies of each other.

CorrectionAfter hitting an all-time high, a coin will enter a period of correction where it steadies out at a given price before rising again (ideally, sometimes a correction simply spurs on a “bear market”). In cryptocurrency coins often hit all-time highs and then enter correction periods.

CryptographyA branch of mathematics and computer science that is behind the invention of cryptocurrencies.

CryptocurrencyThe term for a digital currency that makes use of encryption for generating new units and verifying the transferring of funds.

D

DAODecentralized Autonomous Organization. An investor-directed venture capital fund built on the Ethereum network that was hacked in June 2016. The hack stole about a third of the DAO’s funds and led to Ethereum being hard-forked the following month. The DAO is often cited as one of Ethereum’s biggest stumbles thus far.

DappDecentralized Application. This refers to an application that uses an Ethereum smart contract as it’s back-end code.

DCADollar cost averaging. Instead of going all in at once, one might want to dollar cost average into a volatile asset like a cryptocurrency to buy the average price over time to create a long position.

DDoSA distributed denial of service attack uses large numbers of computers under an attacker’s control to drain the resource of a central target.

DecentralizedA state where there is no central control, power or function, or in reference to infrastructure, no central point of failure.

Deterministic walletA relatively new kind of wallet that makes recovery possible – essentially a deterministic wallet generates keys from a ‘seed’ – this seed can later be used to restore all addresses and private keys from your wallet in case of a failure. Bitcoin Magazine has a good technical explanation here.

Digital AssetNot every cryptocurrency is meant to be a currency. If it is a digital store of value, it can be called a digital asset (both Cryptokitties and Ether are digital assets, but only Ether is a cryptocurrency token). Digital assets can be fungible or non-fungible. Cryptokitties are represented by non-fungible tokens (meaning unique tokens that can’t be replaced and still retain value; sort of like hand crafted one-off artworks) unlike Ether which is fungible tokens (all Ethers are equally valuable, there is no specific unique Ether that is worth more or less than other Ethers; like how dollars work).

DifficultyA measure of the amount of computing power required to solve the hash of a block. This is what increases to counteract increasing network hashrate in order to maintain a 10 minute confirmation time; re-adjusts every 2016 blocks.

DILDOLong green or red candles

Distributed consensusCollective agreement by various computers in a network and allows it to work in a decentralized, P2P manner without the need of central authority to deter dishonest network participants.

Double SpendingThe act of spending the same bitcoins twice. The blockchain plus bitcoin mining exist to confirm all transactions and to prevent such fraud.

DUMP / DUMPINGWhen a price of cryptocurrency is decreasing fast. Major sell off.

Dust TransactionTransactions so small that they are considered “spam” by the network. They are not relayed to stop people accidentally or deliberately clogging the blockchain.

DYORDo Your Own Research. Listening to the person on the internet is step 1, step 2 is doing your own research and making your own investment choices. A Reddit thread is not your fiduciary. For example, I have no specific certification that qualifies me to write a list of crypto acronyms. If you did your DD (Due Diligence), you would know that.

E

EEAEnterprise Ethereum Alliance. A coalition of startups and corporations trying to figure out the best way to use this dang thing.

ERC-20A type of token standard for Ethereum which ensures the tokens perform in a predictable way. This allows the tokens to be easily exchangeable and able to work immediately with decentralized applications that also use the ERC-20 standard. Most tokens released through ICO’s are compliant with the ERC-20 standard.

EscrowThe act of holding funds or assets in a third-party account to protect them during an asynchronous transaction.

ETFAcronym for “Exchange Traded Fund”. These are investment funds traded on stock markets that track the price index of an underlying asset.

Exchange (see guide)Websites where you can buy and sell crypto-currencies.

EWElliot Wave. A pattern that the price movement of assets tends to make. Used in technical analysis.

F

FaucetA technique used when first launching an altcoin. A set number of coins are pre-mined, and given away for free, to encourage people to take interest in the coin and begin mining it themselves.

FiatAny form of physical paper currency. Regulated and Centralized.

FibonacciFibonacci brought modern mathematics to the west in many ways. He also popularized a set of ratios that are commonly used in trading to find support and resistance levels (Fibonacci retracement levels); they pair nicely with EW.

FlippeningA potential future event wherein Ethereum’s market cap surpasses Bitcoin’s market cap, making Ethereum the most ‘valuable’ crypto-currency. This site shows the progress of the Flippening in real-time: http://www.flippening.watch/

FOMOFear of Missing out. The overwhelming sensation that you need to get on the train when the price of something starts to skyrocket.

ForkA situation where a blockchain splits into two separate chains. Forks generally happen in the crypto-world when new ‘governance rules’ are built into the blockchain’s code.

FUDFear, Uncertainty, Doubt

FUDsterSomeone that is spreading FUD.

G

Gas (see guide)A measurement of how much processing is required by the ethereum network to process a transaction. Simple transactions, like sending ether to another address, typically do not require much gas. More complex transactions, like deploying a smart contract, require more gas.

Gas limitA term used in the Ethereum platform that refers to the maximum amount of units of gas the user is willing to spend on a transaction. The transaction must have enough gas to cover the computational resources needed to execute the code. All unused gas is refunded at the end of the transaction.

Gas priceThe amount of ether to be spent for each gas unit on a transaction. The initiator of a transaction chooses and pays the gas price of the transaction. Transactions with higher gas prices are prioritized by the network.

H

Halving: It is the 50% reduction in block reward after a certain number of blocks are mined. In Bitcoin, the halving happens after every 210,000 blocks.

Hard capThe maximum amount that an ICO will be raising. If an ICO reaches its hard cap, they will stop collecting any more funds.

Hardfork (see guide)An alteration to the block structure of a coin or token.It can be done to change the difficulty rules for mining, to add new features or layers, or pretty much anything.

HashA hash algorithm turns an arbitrarily-large amount of data into a fixed-length hash. The same hash will always result from the same data, but modifying the data by even one bit will completely change the hash. Like all computer data, hashes are large numbers, and are usually written as hexadecimal.

BitCoin uses the SHA-256 hash algorithm to generate verifiably “random” numbers in a way that requires a predictable amount of CPU effort. Generating a SHA-256 hash with a value less than the current target solves a block and wins you some coins.

Hash RateHash Rate or Hash Power is the measuring unit of the power Bitcoin network is consuming to be continuously functional.

I

ICO (see guide)An Initial Coin Offering, A way for a new cryptocurrency project to raise money for their project by offering a select amount of coins for sale to the public at base price. Somewhat similar to an IPO in the non-crypto world.

InputsThis is a reference to an output of a previous transaction. Inputs to an address are added up, and this amount determines the amount a wallet can spend in outputs.

J

K

Keys (Cryptographic Keys) Cryptocurrency is largely based on public-key cryptography. The concept is that one key can be known publicly (the public key) and the other can’t (the private key). The public key is encrypted from and linked to a private key that can’t be known. In cryptocurrency, your public address is a hash of your public key. It lets people send you crypto. Meanwhile, your public key is a hash of your private key. Your private key lets you access the crypto associated with a public address. To resume, a public address is the public account number people can send coins to; it a has a public key, which is a hash of a private key. Meanwhile, the private key is like a unique personal password that lets you access an associated address in your wallet and send coins from it by creating a signature (a signature essentially an encrypted version of your private key). Never share your private keys, as they are the root of all the information needed to access one’s crypto!

KYCAcronym for “Know Your Customer”, used to describe a series of laws and regulations which require businesses to know the identity of their customers.

L

LaundryAlso known as a “mixing service”, they combine funds from various users and redistribute them, making tracing the bitcoins back to their original source very difficult by mixing their “taint”.

LeverageOften used to describe trading with borrowed capital (margin) in order to increase the potential return of an investment. Trading with “borrowed” bitcoins/money.

Lightning Network (see guide)A low latency, off chain P2P system for making micropayments of cryptocurrencies. It offers features such as instant payments, scalability, low cost and cross-chain functionality. Participants do not have to make individual transactions public on the blockchain and security is enforced by smart contracts.

Limit order / limit buy / limit sellOrders placed by traders to buy or sell a crypto-currency when the price meets a certain amount. They can be thought of as ‘for-sale’ signs. These orders are what are bought and sold against when traders place market orders.

LiquidityThe availability of an asset to be bought and sold easily, without affecting its market price.

LongingTaking a long position is the opposite of a short. When a trader or investor goes long, they hope to profit from a price increase.

M

MA / EMA / MACDMoving Averages (MA) track help people understand the trend of a coin over time. Moving Average Convergence Divergence (MACD) shows the relationship between two moving averages of prices. The MACD is calculated by subtracting the 26-day Exponential Moving Average (EMA) from the 12-day EMA. When these lines cross, they can tell us about the general trend of the asset. We would be looking for Death Crosses and Golden Crosses.

Maker/TakerMaker fees are fees associated with limit orders. Taker fees are fees associated with market orders. This only applies to exchanges that use a Maker/Taker model and is only relevant when one fee type is lower than the other. GDAX is an example of an exchange where this matters. On GDAX maker orders have no fees, but taker orders do.

Margin tradingThe act of ‘magnifying’ the intensity of your trades by risking your existing coins. (NOTE: Very risky, only for experienced traders and only on certain exchanges even then)

Market order / market buy / market sellA simple purchase or sale on an exchange at the current price. Market buys purchase the cheapest ETH available on the order book, and market sells fill the most expensive buy order on the books.

Market CapThe total value held in a cryptocurrency. It is calculated by multiplying the total supply of coins by the current price of an individual unit.

Maximum supplyAn approximation of the maximum number of coins or tokens that will ever exist for a cryptocurrency or crypto asset.

MEWMyEtherWallet. A free site that can generate ethereum software wallets for you.

MinerA computer participating in any cryptocurrency network performing proof of work. This is usually done to receive block rewards.

MiningThe process of trying to ‘solve’ the next block. It requires obscene amounts of computer processing power to do effectively, but is rewarded with coins.

Mining DifficultyThis number determines how difficult it is to hash a new block. It is related to the maximum allowed number in a given numerical portion of a transaction block’s hash. The lower the number, the more difficult it is to produce a hash value that fits it.

Mining ContractA method of investing in bitcoin mining hardware, allowing anyone to rent out a pre-specified amount of hashing power, for an agreed amount of time. The mining service takes care of hardware maintenance, hosting and electricity costs, making it simpler for investors.

Mining PoolA group of miners who have decided to combine their computing power for mining. This allows rewards to be distributed more consistently between participants in the pool.

Mining rigA computer especially designed for processing proof-of-work blockchains, like Ethereum. They often consist of multiple high-end graphic processors (GPUs) to maximize their processing power.

MintingThe process of rewarding users in proof of stake coins. New coins are minted as the reward for verifying transactions in a block.

Mooning / MoonIn the crypto-world, this does not mean exposing your buttocks. It is referring to a price going up astronomical levels.

Multisigor multisignature refers to having more than one signature to approve a transaction. This form of security is beneficial for a company receiving money into their BTC wallet. If a company wants to keep it so that one employee doesn’t have sole access to a transaction, multisig allows for a transaction to be verified by two separate employees before it’s complete.

N

NodeA computer that possesses a copy of the blockchain and is working to maintain it.

NonceA random number used once when a miner attempts to hash a transaction block. The parameters of these numbers are set by the “difficulty”.

O

Off Blockchain TransactionsExchanges of value which occur off the blockchain between trusted parties. These occur because they are quicker and do not bloat the blockchain.

Orphaned BlockA valid block which is discarded by the network after the blockchain has “forked” and then re-achieved consensus on a single blockchain again. This usually happens after two miners simultaneously solve a block, temporarily resulting in two valid blocks in the blockchain.

Open SourceThe practice of sharing the source code for a piece of computer software, allowing it to be distributed and altered by anyone.

OTC exchangeStands for “Over the Counter”. These exchanges are places where trading is done directly between the two parties involved in the transaction, allowing traders to escape some of the limitations set by trading on formalised exchanges.

OutputThe part of the transaction which contains instructions for the sending of bitcoin.

P

Paper walletA form of “cold storage” where the private keys are printed onto a piece of paper and stored offline.

PeercoinThe first cryptocurrency to implement “Proof Of Stake” alongside Proof Of Work.

P2PIt means peer to peer or person to person.

Pre-saleA sale that takes place before an ICO is made available to the general public to participate.

Private KeyA private key is a secret, alphanumeric password/number used to spend/send your Coins/Tokens to another address. It represents the full access to your wallet, you should NEVER share it or keep it in an insecure place.

Public Key/Bitcoin addressThis is another alphanumeric address/number which is derived from private keys and is used to publicly receive Coins/Tokens.

Proof of BurnThis is a method of “burning” one Proof of Work cryptocurrency in order to receive a different cryptocurrency. This is a form of “bootstrapping” one cryptocurrency off another, and is done by sending coins to a verifiable unspendable address.

Proof of ExistenceA service provided through the blockchain that allows anyone to anonymously and securely store a proof of existence for any document they choose online. This allows people to prove that a document existed at a certain point in time and demonstrate their ownership of it, without fear of that proof being taken from them.

Proof of Stake (see guide)An alternative to proof of work, in which your exiting stake in a currency is used to calculate the amount of that currency that you can mine.

Proof of Work (see guide)A system that ties mining capability to computational power.

Pump and DumpThe recurring cycle of an altcoin getting a ton of attention, leading to a fast price increase, and then of course followed by a huge crash.

Q

R

Raiden NetworkAn upcoming protocol change to Ethereum that will enable high-speed transfers across the network. It is similar in some aspects to Bitcoin’s Lightning Network. The name, I assume, comes from the Mortal Kombat character named Raiden that can shoot lightning.

Recovery phrase/seed keywordRandom 12, 18, 24 words that are used to derive numerous pairs of private and public keys. Using these seeds, you can restore your wallet in any other supported seed key wallet.

REKTWhen you have a bad loss

RemittanceA sum of money being sent, usually internationally, as a payment or gift.

ROIReturn on Investment. The percentage of how much money has been made compared to an initial investment. (i.e., 100% ROI means someone doubled their money).

RSIThe relative strength index (RSI) is a momentum indicator that compares the magnitude of recent gains and losses over a specified period to measure speed and change of price movements. It is smart to enter a coin when it has a low RSI.

S

SatoshiA Satoshi is the smallest unit of Bitcoin. It is named after Satoshi Nakamoto, the creator of Bitcoin. Each BTC is divisible until the 1/10^8 part. A unit of Satoshi is equal to 0.00000001 bitcoin.

Satoshi NakamotoThe anonymous creator of Bitcoin.

ScamcoinCoins created as get rich quick schemes by their developers. These coins usually have certain properties, such as being clones of an existing coin and being pre-mined.

SeedThe private key used in a “deterministic wallet”

SidechainThese are theroetical, independent blockchains which are “two way pegged” to the Bitcoin blockchain. These can have their own unique features and can have bitcoins sent to and from them.

SignatureIs the mathematical operation that lets someone prove their sole ownership over their wallet, coin, data or on. An example is how a Bitcoin wallet may have a public address, but only a private key can verify with the whole network that a signature matches and a transaction is valid. These are only known to the owner and are basically mathematically impossible to uncover.

Segregated Witness (SegWit)The process where the block size limit on a blockchain is increased by removing digital signature data and moving it to the end of a transaction to free up capacity. Transactions are essentially split (or ‘segregated’), into two segments: the original data segment and the signature (or ‘witness’) segment.

SHA-256The hash that bitcoin uses for mining and the generation of addresses, originally developed by the American National Security Agency.

ShardingA scaling solution for blockchains. Typically, every node in a blockchain network houses a complete copy of the blockchain. Sharding is a method that allows nodes to have partial copies of the complete blockchain in order to increase overall network performance and consensus speeds.

Shilling / pumpingSomeone essentially advertising another crypto-currency. If a coin is promised to cure cancer or be the second coming of Jesus, it’s being shilled.

SHITCOINIt is a coin without any proven value, low price, bad project.

ShortingSelling a cryptocurrency In hopes of buying it at a lower price at a later time to gain profit.On Exchanges that have margin trading is borrowing some cryptocurrency to sell and buy back at a lower price, thus ending up with more cryptocurency, in the end the amount borrowed is returned and the rest is profit.

Smart contract (see guide)Code that is deployed onto the Ethereum blockchain, often directly interacting with how money flows. Not my quote, but: “A normal transaction allows you to send money from A to B. Smart contracts allow you to send money from A to B, on the condition that C happens.”

Snapshot BlockForks occur at specific block heights. The block height you have to be in a coin by to qualify for a fork is called a snapshot block. It is the block at which a snapshot of the ledger will be taken to determine the balances of the ledger of the fork.

Soft capGenerally refers to the minimum amount that an initial coin offering (ICO) needs to raise. If the ICO is unable to raise that amount, it may be cancelled and the collected funds returned to participants.

SolidityOne of the most popular languages that smart contracts can be written in. Has some similarities to Javascript.

SpeculatorAn individual who speculates on the price of bitcoin or any other form of asset. Aiming to make profits by buying and selling at different prices.

Stable coinA crypto-currency with extremely low volatility that can be used to trade against the overall market. Ex: Tether

SpoofingWhen a person or people with a lot of money and coins buy and sell to themselves in a set range to create the illusion of volume.

Stop LossIf a certain price is hit, a market order will be triggered. If you are going short in a coin that is on a run, you should consider setting a stop loss (or laddering stop losses).

SWINGZig zag price movement (Upwards and downwards)

T

TATrend Analysis or Technical Analysis. Refers to the process of examining current charts in order to predict which way the market will move next.

TaintA measure of correlation between two addresses, this is used in attempts to track a coin’s history.

TankThe opposite of “mooning.” When there is a crash in a crypto, it is said to be “tanking.”

TestnetAn alternative blockchain on which developers can test and experiment with changes to a cryptocurrency without the risk of damaging or interfering with the real blockchain.

Ticker SymbolsEvery coin has a trading symbol or ticker symbol. For Ripple, it is XRP, for Bitcoin BTC, for Litecoin LTC, for Ether (ETH), etc. People often refer to coins by their ticker symbol and not their name.

TimestampA proof that a piece of data existed at a certain point in time. For Bitcoin this is the cryptographic proof of when transactions have taken place.

To The MoonRefers to price moving to astronomical heights.

TokensRefers to the ‘currency’ of projects built on the ethereum network that have raised money via issuing their own tokens.

TokenizationIf you just sent unencrypted data across the internet it would not be secure. So instead of doing that information is tokenized. It is encrypted and turned into a string of data. That string can then be sent and stored. Data sent between wallets and stored on the blockchain is tokenized. This is why the term cryptocurrency tokens are used.

Total supplyThe total number of coins or tokens that are in existence, including those circulating in the public market and those that are locked or reserved.

Transaction BlockA group of transactions that are collected and hashed on the Bitcoin network by being added to the blockchain.

Transaction IDAnother alphanumeric string through which you can publicly see the transfer details (amount sent, sending/receiving bitcoin address, as well as the date of transfer) on the bitcoin blockchain.

Transaction feesBitcoin transaction incentives that the miners receive for mining block via bitcoins, which is actually a small fee that the bitcoin users pay in order to complete BTC transactions.

TXA transaction number. This allows you to track a transaction. If you are freaking out because your transaction is taking too long, you probably just have to wait longer. Try tracking the TX.

U

Unconfirmed TransactionA bitcoin transaction that has been relayed to nodes in the Bitcoin network but has not yet been incorporated into a block. Also known as “Zero Confirmation transaction”.

V

VC / Venture CapitalistCan refer to an individual or organisation that provide initial funding for start-up business ventures that cannot access public funding. This money is known as “seed funding”, and is usually exchanged for equity in the start-up.

VolatilityThe measurement of price movements over time for a traded financial asset.

W

Wall (Sell wall / Buy wall)Using a depth chart, traders can see the current limit buy and sell points. The graphical representation on the depth chart looks like

Wallet (see guide)A digital or physical address in which cryptocurrency can be stored/sent/received. Accessible through a private key.

Weak HandsWhen too many new investors (in a given coin) invest in a coin the coin can be said to be “in weak hands.” Long-term investors who have built a position in a coin they love tend to HODL when the going gets rough, new investors with weak hands tend to get “weak knees,” and panic sell in a correction.

WhalesWhales are cryptocurrency investors with many coins or dollars. These investors can help move markets, or they can help stop markets from moving. When you see a 250 BTC buy wall or sell wall, that is a Whale. When the price goes down quickly and it makes you sad, or it shoots up and liquidates your short position, you can curse your semi-mythic nemeses “whales.”

WhitelistA list of registered and approved participants that are given exclusive access to contribute to an ICO or a pre-sale.

WhitepaperA documentation describing a new cryptocurrency project in detail, usually associated with ICO’s.

Wire TransferAn electronic method of transferring money from one party to another.